zoraida? >> as for where the pope emeritus lives when he retires, for the next two months, pope benedict will be staying at castel gandolfo. it's been a retreat for popes for several centuries now. a monastery in the vatican garden is being renovated as a permanent home for him it's a 8,600 square fight complex. renovations have been in the works since november and expected to be completed in the spring. his longtime housekeepers will join him. our special edition of "early start," the pope's last day continues right now. >> our special coverage continues right here on cnn. history in the making. pope benedict xvi about to carry out the last chaj of his papacy

meeting one by one with the cardinals who will choose his successor and he might be face-to-face with the next pope in just a few minutes on this last day on the throne of st. peter. good morning. welcome to this special edition of "early start." i'm john berman. >> and i'm zoraida sambolin. we'd like to welcome our viewers from around the world on cnn international. it's the top of the hour, thursday, february 28th. we are witnessing history in the making. no one alive has ever seen a sitting pope step down. >> it is all unfolding right now and by 2:00 p.m. eastern, pope benedict xvi becomes pope emeritus. but there is still a lot to do before then. the meeting at this hour with the cardinals who will ultimately choose his replacement. over 100 of them plan to be on

hand. the pontiff will spended i ed a or two with each of them. >> and then cardinal sodano will speak. >> the departure of this pope after what really has been a turbulent eight-year reign leaves the catholic church in unchartered waters right now. its 1.2 billion followers in search of something of a new direction. cnn's chief international correspondent christiane amanpour is live in rome this morning. good morning, christiane. >> good morning. we are expecting any moment now vatican television to start showing us those pictures of the last face-to-face meeting between pope benedict xvi on his last day on the throne of st. peter and talking personally as you've been saying, to all of those cardinals who are in town at the moment. there's a big group who will be gathering and of that huge group

there will be a certain number, 115, who will eventually convene in the conclave to elect the next pope. joined here by john allen as you can see, we're in a busy location. behind us is st. peter's. i can't help but notice for all the attention on this incredible moment, when we were back here in 2005, rome was overflowing with about 5 million pilgrims as john paul lay dying. give us a sense of the difference of what's happening and the outpouring. >> the obvious difference is this transition is following resignation rather than death. you don't have the same outpouring of grief. >> we're seeing those live pictures indeed. >> by the way, christiane, speaking of turbulence, this is taking place in the hall of clementine.

>> he was tossed into a river with an anchor around his neck so his body would not bubble back up. you want to talk turbulence? >> and why? >> the authorities of the day saw him as a hostile to their interests. they were hoping to replace him with somebody who would be more soft. my point is that whatever you think of the turbulence of the last eight years you really ain't seen nothing compared to centuries past. >> what are we going to see? here they all are, they're looking jovial. >> these are guys who have known one another for a very long time. some went to seminary together. some of them belong to the same religious order. this is in a sense a kind of gentleman's club. before the more somber farewell begins there's networking and catching up going on. >> they have a personal tie to benedict xvi, because he elevated the majority of those now. >> he started out as a member of

this club. remember he was made a cardinal in 1978, which means for almost 25 years or so, benedict xvi was one of them. he would be have been sitting in this room with them on any one of those occasions. >> you can hear the sirens. there's a hospital nearby. it does kind of really show us all this activity that has been going on here in rome. and st. peter's has been the center of all the activity over the last couple of days. when cardinal sodano makes his speech, what will that be, is that a farewell, policy, what are we going to hear? >> i don't think we'll hear reference to policy questions this morning. i think this is going to be a fairly emotional tribute and farewell to the pope on behalf of the entire college of cardinals. the idea is that sodano was not speaking just for himself but the entire group.

>> i'm not sure whether he started speaking yet. we'll get translation when he does. again, the number of cardinals, there are about 100 here. all of those who have come to rome and then what we'll have is about 115 of those convene to actually elect in the conclave. >> of course it is precisely 115. there is 117 cardinals who are under the age of 80. one of them, a jesuit cardinal of indonesia has said he can't come. not all of them will be in the clementina this morning.

>> i just saw a cars ndinal wit mobile phone. once they're in the conclave they won't be permitted to have those, right? >> it comes from the meaning of two words mean i. they will not be able to get signals out. the casa santa marta, the $20 million hotel on the grounds where the cardinals will be staying.

>> you know, we talk about a gentleman's club. we talked a lot about some of the concerns and reforms or at least changes and accountability that the next pope will have to conduct. sort of finishing and here comes pope benedict xvi to meet all his cardinals. one of resilient cardinals said earlier this week that really the next pope must take in hand the unfinished business of zero tolerance policy when it comes to these priest sex abuse scandals. >> i would say, christiane, there's a widespread sense amongst the cardinals, the next pope has to carry forward the reforms of pope benedict xvi. >> translator: it is with great emotion that the cardinals present in rome today are joining you to express once

again their deep affection and to express to you the gratitude for your selfless service for the church of jesus christ and mankind. at the end of today, you thanked the cardinals and your collaborators using these moving words, friends, you called them. i wish to thank all of you not only for this week but for the past eight years during which you have born with me the weight of papal responsibilities with competence and affection.

yesterday you addressed the people in st. peter's square. today we should thank you for the example which you have given us during the last eight yeerdz of your pontificate on the 19th of april, 2005, you joined a long chain of successors of st. peter and today, the 20th of february, 2013, you are going to leave us. and we expect that the helm of st. peter's ship will pass through your hands and you will continue the succession which the lord promised to his church as long as the voice of the angel, the apocalypse is heard, saying time is short.

it will be consumed in the mystery of god. then the history of the church, together with the history of the world. with deep love we sought to accompany you on your path, living again the experience of the disciples who having walked along the road with jesus said one to another, was our heart not burning when he talked to us along the road? yes, holy father, you should know that our heart was burning, too, when we walked with you during the last eight years. once again we want to express to you all our gratitude. so we repeat an expression which

is typical of your native country. that god may recompense you. >> that was cardinal angelo sodano, the dean of the college of cardinals right there with moving words, thanking pope benedict xvi. he said yesterday was the pope's chance to thank the flocks, today it is the cardinals' chance to thank the pope himself. monsignor hilgartner, what struck you with those words? i'm sorry. i'll stop you and listen to the pope. >> translator: i thank each of you personally and thank the television channel which has been able to interpret the

feelings of this college. i thank you very much. i would like to say referring to the experience i've had, for me, too, it has been a joy to work and walk with you during these years in the presence of god. and as i said yesterday, to the thousands of faithful who filled the square of st. peter, youred avice and presence has been very helpful to me in my ministry. during eight years we have lived with faith, marvelous moments in the history of the church and also times when the world is covered by dark clouds. however, we do hope that we have expressed a positive side and only christ alone can cast light

on our vantage. we thank those who have helped us to grow and we will ask christ to help you grow further in the future so that the college of cardinals will be like an orchestra where there is diversity and expression of universal church. acting in harmony. i would like to leave a thought with you, something i have much to heart but something which i could say is of the rationality and the passion for life. there's an expression written by gardini during the second vatican council, and these are the words particularly geared to

me. the church is not thought out institution. it is a living unit. it lives over time and becomes and changes and transforms itself. however, its nature remains the same. and at his heart is christ. and my experience yesterday tells me that the church is a living body animated by the holy spirit and it lives from the strength of god, and it is in the world but not of the world. and we saw this yesterday. this takes me to another

expression of gardini, that the church lives in the souls, it lives and grows and becomes alive in the souls of people. those who accept the word of god and work in accordance with the holy spirit, in the humility, they become capable of generating christ in the world. and through the church and the mystery of the incarnation the church is present always. christ continues to walk through time in all places. so we remain united in these mysteries, in our prayer and eucharist every day. and thus serving the church and mankind. that's something which no one can deprive us of.

so personally, i would like to say, that i will continue to serve you in prayer, in particular in the coming days, so that you may be touched by the holy spirit in the election of a new pope and hope that the lord will show you the right way. and i promise my obedience and respect for the next pope, i give you the epistolia blessic from my very heart.

in the name of god may he bless all of you in the name of the father and the son and the holy spirit. >> a very special moment there as pope benedict xvi blesses the cardinals. they are right now at sola clementina where pope benedict xvi has addressed the cardinals for what presumably is the last time. as we see him there, he will actually talk to the cardinals one on one, spend a couple minutes with each one of them. we have with us monsignor hilgartner and father edward beck. i want to start with you,

monsignor. you listened to what pope benedict xvi just said. can you in our speak decipher for us what the message was he was trying to leave us with? >> really he was offering a reflection, very briefly, on his experience yesterday of, i think, feeling the unity of the church. he actually quoted one of his favorite theologians, guardini who he knew during the second vatican council. he kept speaking of the church as a living being, the church is alive in the souls of the people who believe. i think he was really speaking from the heart about his own experience leading the church in that regard and the final moment, the last thing he said, what struck me, is to hear him speak about the next pope, the future pope. he said in particular he will continue to serve you, meaning his brother cardinals, in prayer, that as he moves into this ministry of prayer he

recognizes that he's continuing to serve the church. >> he said he hopes the holy spirit guides them in the election of the new pope, hopes the lord will show you, the cardinals, the right way. finally he said, he is promising his obedience to the next pope. a significant statement, father? >> i think so. he wants to make it clear that there will be one pope in charge and he is subject as well to that pope. i thought that was telling. he also said in the world but not of it. there's been critique of pope benedict that he was not enough in the world, engaged enough with issues that real people care about. he's making it clear from a spiritual perspective you need to be in the world but can't be controlled by it. it can't be that which defines you totally. he made that clear that he is in the world but not of it. >> we're watching pope benedict xvi there as he actually individually meets with all the cardinals. it's very fast. not a lot of time is being spent with them individually. my question becomes here his

legacy. because you know, he served eight years under a lot of turmoil for the roman catholic church. so what do you think will be his lasting legacy? is that what people will talk about? we heard him say that he has been surprised by the way that the flock has received him with open arms but he's also been shocked at the criticism that he has received. so what do you think we'll be saying about this pope and his legacy. >> his primary legacy will be his resignation. that's what we will remember him for. the fact in humility, he was able to, where do you find a leader today relinquishing power voluntari voluntarily? that's his statement. i'm not up for the job. i want to make way for someone in this church who can. he has a trilogy of writings about the life of jesus. that will be remembered. >> he did say he thanked the cardinals for serving with him in these marvelous moments but also at time when the world was covered by dark clouds.

>> he really refers not only to issues that might face the church, that have been spoken about a lot, especially in the recent days, but looking at world events that he has witnessed and expressed his concern and care for, acts of violence, natural disasters, just the state of the world. he's been very concerned about tensions in the middle east. and tried to be very involved in efforts of world peace. i think some of what he referred to might have referred to the church but parts of it really about the state of the world and the place of the church to be something that brings hope in the midst of dark clouds. >> i know when we were talking to christiane earlier, i mentioned who could potentially be the next pope. she said it's too soon to talk about that, that's kind of a taboo subject right now. we would like to talk about that. if we can start with the

conclave process, what are the cardinals looking for specifically? i'll start with you, monsignor. >> they'll start to assemble in the general congregation. it will be an opportunity for all the cardinals to look at the state of the church, the issues and concerns facing the church. they'll speak in general about concepts, concerns and in a way rather broadly to look at what the needs of the church will be, before they actually enter into the conclave. the conclave itself is governed by a very strict ritual, so once they enter into the sistine chapel and the doors are closed, there's not a lot of -- it won't look like the halls of congress. it's a strict ritual of placing their votes one by one in each ballot. as the world is watching for

white smoke, they'll be one by one presenting their ballots each time. they go in order of president dense and seniority as they present votes one by one. >> in essence as we're sitting here, prior to the conclave we'll be understanding what the most important issues are as they perceive them in the catholic church prior to them going in? >> they probably won't have opportunities to speak publicly because even the general congregations are closed door. they will have a number of consultants they can name, a number of priests, people who aren't cardinals who could speak to them. those are limited in number. even though the cardinals over 80 who won't be able to go into the conclave itself, they will be able to participate in the congregations and have a chance to give their inputt before they vote. >> even if we did have an opportunity to hear from them, it would be quite politic of them to speak publicly. >> yes. >> interesting historical

perspective, the name was conclavus. they were taking three years to elect a new pope. the town got fed up. they locked the cardinals in, literally. so they would make a decision. >> there are new rules in place this time, i believe, if there is no decision within three days, they will take a pause for a day to step back, reflect, gather their thoughts and then go back in. i should just mention once again to everyone, what's happening right now is pope benedict xvi is greeting every cardinal who is already in rome right now, private words with each and every one of them. it is possible very likely at some point during this meet and greet session you will see pope benedict xvi with his successor. we don't know who that is right now.

>> i was reading about the pope's december rens -- residence. they started working on that since november. it makes me wonder how long they have known that pope benedict xvi was set to retire. do you find that unusual? do you think they've known longer than they were letting on. >> i think he knew but i doubt he shared his thoughts with too many people. i'm sure did he consult with a couple of close collaborators to discuss all kinds of ramifications and just to seek some counsel so that he didn't make -- there's cardinal george of chicago greeting -- >> who is in ill health. i'm surprised he made it on that journey. >> he's finished his cancer treatments. >> he has. but he's been very weak. thrilled to see him looking well. >> one of 11 american cardinals there. >> 11 who can vote. there are several who live in rome and other of the american

cardinals from the united states who traveled. >> let's go back to rome where christiane amanpour, our senior international correspondent is there live with john allen, our cnn contributor, watching these cardinals one by one say good-bye to pope benedict xvi. christiane? >> indeed. we have been watching this procession and we're watching the gentleman in the white tie and tails who is keeping a strict eye on what is personal time, face time for all of these cardinals for one last time with benedict xvi as he is pope. you recognized a few people, including the one who will come to the window to announce the next pope. >> within the college there are three different orders. there are cardinal bishops, cardinal priests and cardinal deacons. there are only six cardinal bishops by tradition.

we've seen cardinal john louis. he will be the cardinal who makes the we have a pope announcement. we saw one of the three cardinals who produced that dossier which has been the subject of tremendous speculation in recent days. >> let's talk about that a second. the pope did receive that document on monday. there were many of us who thought there may be a statement from the vatican as to what was in it. we don't know. he's the only one, including the three cardinals, who know what's in it. what do you think is in it and what will it mean for the next pope to have that land on his desk? >> well, the pope actually got that document on the 17th of december. what happened last week is he had his final meeting with the

three cardinals, all of whom were over 80, who conducted the investigation. you'll remember this was an investigation of that sensational vatican leaks mess last year which culminated with the pope's former butler for being the mole at the heart of the affair, this report, 300 pages we're told, which you say, only pope benedict xvi has read, was an attempt to see who was behind that affair, who was involved, who might have had motive to betray the pope's confidence. the vatican has announced that he will leave it on the desk, well, presumably under lock and key. in any event, it will be left for his successor. >> let's talk as well as we see a procession of cardinals coming out. let's talk about some of those who we've seen, you know,

cardinal sodano has been a very prominent cardinal for decades. he was once secretary of state. now he's dean of the college of cardinals. and he also is a controversial figure. the whole idea of having protected the former monsignor who had been involved in a lot of scandal, talk a little bit about that. >> well, you're quite right. cardinal angelo sodano has been at the peak of power for a long time. he is currently the dean of the college. he has been linked in a couple of different ways to the child sex abuse scandals that have been such a cancer for the catholic church. one as you say, he was a major supporter of the former founder of the legionaries of christ who was later found guilty of a wide range of abuse and sexual misconduct. people will say sodano should

have been more aggressive and taken more seriously the charges that came up about mossiol in the '90s. cardinal sodano during an easter liturgy publicly compared the handling of the crisis to petty gossip. a number of the victims of the crisis felt that voicing their concerns was not tantamount to gossip. he's been lunged to this crisis in some way. although of course -- >> the pope is taking a sip of water. let's talk about the bishop cardinal who's standing next to him. he has served this pope and he will serve the next pope as well at the same time. >> yes. that's right. we're talking about archbishop gaylorg ganesfine.

benedict recently made monsignor gainswine an archbishop. he has a job that he will presumably continue to hold for the new pope which has set a minor friesen about whether he might be a back door chan for benedict to continue to have a voice in the next papacy. >> it is right now 5:0 a.30 a.m eastern time. it is here in rome where we are at st. peter's square. what we've been reporting this morning is this is the final day of pope benedict xvi's papacy. at this moment and for the last half an hour he's been meeting with all the cardinals who are now here in rome. this is not a policy statement.

this is not about doctrine. this is about final face time with all these cardinals who have come to say thank you to him, who he is saying thank you to and whom many of whom, the majority in fact he may have elevated to their positions as cardinal. 115 of the voting age cardinals will convene at some point into the conclave that elects the next pope. we're talking about some of them who have held very significant posts in the catholic church. many of them are aged, of course. and they are all now meeting with the pope. as i say, what was extraordinary is that this pope's speech yesterday has been touted, the one he gave after having gone around st. peter's square in the popemobile, has been touted as the best speech he's made. he used the word in italian that

means to be moved. he writes all his writings in long hand. >> this is not a pope of the digital age, really. >> although he tweets. >> someone tweets in his name, christiane, would be the better way to put it. benedict xvi is old school in the sense that he prefers to do all of his writing in long hand. one of the remarkable things of benedict xvi he has an encyclopediaic memory. when he does his academic writings often he will include passages in greek and latin which he can recall from memory. the only thing he ever has to do is go back up and look up the page number in the original text. >> it is an extraordinary detail about him and is he known as the intellectual pope, the if pope

den bikt would not have been a cardinal and pope, he would have been. >> a university professor. >> and john paul would have been. >> a movie star. >> that gives you a sense of the different temperaments. yet the emotion that is now being really demonstrated as these cardinals say farewell face to face for the last time, all of them kissing the fisherman's ring which we know will be defaced and destroyed which benedict xvi's papacy ends. >> that's right. there are two instruments of the papal office, one is the ring and one is the official papal seal. the seal is kept in a safe in an office in the vatican. of course in the middle ages as you know, christiane be these were what were used to stamp paper bulls. which made them official. after a papacy had ended, someone might use the instruments to falsify papal

documents. that's where the custom of destroying them came from. that will be honored at the end of benedict's papacy as well. >> thank you. we'll continue to watch this with all of you. back to you, john and zoraida in new york. >> it is interesting to see this as history is being made at the vatican. pope benedict xvi saying good-bye to the cardinals who have assembled and many of them will be part of the conclave. >> as you see there, sharing some private words with them and nice laughter. we head over to jim bitterman. he's at st. peter's square. what can you tell us, jim. >> this is not exactly anything out of the ordinary today. the big day for the tourists was yesterday. it's one of those things you should have been here yesterday basically. that's when the pope had his major audience for the public. there were tens of thousands of people out here. none of less there were a few people who wanted to come by and

see how things transpired today. the vatican has done a lot to discourage people from even coming. they've kept the tv screens here shut off so there's no way for the public to actually see what's going on in terms of the pope and the cardinals that are meeting behind the vatican walls. and they've also taken down some of the crowd control barriers here. they're obviously not expecting any crowds but nonetheless we have with us today, paul vermulen from belgium. did you come hoping to see the pope? >> actually we booked this trip before anything had been announced and so we came here on monday and the elections were still going on, which we didn't know of, didn't anticipate. of course the news of the pope. in order to avoid the crowds we came on tuesday to see the cathedral. we're back here today to see the galleries, the museum, which is of course a jewel in the crown.

>> thank you. appreciate it. back to you. >> we are seeing some of the american cardinals, we have in the past few minutes middle east and greet pope benedict xvi. cardinal timothy dolan from new york city a short time ago. what's happening right now, the cardinals are saying their final good-byes to pope benedict xvi. later today he will go to his temporary new home which is castel gandolfo, about 15 minutes by helicopter outside of rome. our becky anderson is there. good morning, becky. >> reporter: good morning to you. final preparations being put in place at castel gandolfo in the main town square for the arrival of a very honored guest. this diocese is very much associated with popes. castel gandolfo behind me, 400 years this has been the summer residence of a succession of popes getting away from the heat of the roman summer. it sits over the most wonderful

lake. and the perfect, perfect place to spend a period of time in quiet and contemplation. that is exactly what benedict xvi will do when he arrives here. he's here for a couple months before he goes back to the vatican where they are redoing an apartment for him there, an old monastery that's being redone for his period of time when effectively goes into isolation. before that happens, today, he flies in by helicopter. he has his own pilot's license but i'm told he won't be flying the helicopter today. he'll arrive here at about 5:15 local time, about 5:00 or so hours from now. we'll see him appear at the window behind me there to make a brief salute to what will be 7,000 or 8,000 people gathered in this square. we may hear a brief word from him, that will be the last thing we ever hear from benedict xvi,

his holiness as he'll be called going forward. then, john, at 8:00 in the evening, the brown door inhood me will slam shut and the swiss guard, the papal body guards for centuries, will abandon their position. leaving benedict xvi there to begin his life for contemplation and isolation, as i say. >> you make it sound dramatic. indeed it is, because it is history. >> it's unprecedented. >> later today all the action will be at castel gandolfo where becky anderson has been reporting from. right now it is happening inside vatican city where pope benedict xvi is saying good-bye to the cardinals who have gathered to hear his final words as pope there. the pope spoke to them a short time ago and he made a very brief but poignant statement. let's listen to what he said. >> translator: advice and presence has been very helpful to me in my ministry during

eight years we have lived with faith, marvelous moments in the history of the church and also times when the world was covered by dark clouds. >> he also spoke about the selection of the next pope. he said he hopes the lord will help guide the cardinals to make what he called the right choice and he promised his obedience to the next pope. >> so let's talk about that. let's talk about the next pope and perhaps the list of contenders. we have a list that we put together here. we have father beck with us, also monsignor hilgartner. i gave both of you the list to look through it. one of my questions is whether or not we'd be looking at an american perhaps as a pope and also the age factor. pope benedict xvi was the oldest ever elected. will they be looking for somebody younger?

>> let's first begin with one of the younger candidates on this list. cardinal togle, the archbishop of manila, 2.8 million catholics. only a cardinal for three months, so a newby. he's interesting in that reports say he's invited the poor to eat at his table at his residence. he addressed the cardinals and said they have to be more open. he said the church has to listen more and admit its mistakes. so for a cardinal to say that publicly, i think puts him out there but he's only 55 years old, 56 years old. do we really want some would say, another pope like john paul ii for that long of a papacy? >> well, but he's younger, right? and he's addressing, you know, head on the crisis within the catholic church.

but the fact that he hasn't been a cardinal for very long, does that weigh against him. >> probably. in some ways because the other cardinals don't know him. he's one who has not interacted. and he's in manila. he's not worked in the vatican. it's just a question of he's an unknown candidate where other candidates you look historically when cars nal ratzinger was elected and became bop bpope benedict. it's so hard. if you go into the conclave as pope, you come back out a cardinal. meaning if you're the likely candidate, it might not happen. >> nevertheless. give us one of your top names. >> last week, the preacher for their lentin retreat was

cardinal rossi. he understands the modern world. he's 70. i don't know where things would be relative to age but they say he very much understands the modern world and is very in touch with the culture of the world and maybe somebody who could address those kind of things. >> cardinal ravasi is italian. >> many are saying why not a pope from the third world? that is where the church is growing most rapidly in africa, in asia. interestingly enough we have a candidate from africa, cardinal peter turkson.

there's a little controversy surrounding him. some americans have said to me, the first african-american president in our history, if you had an african pope also? what a remarkable cultural symbol that might be? >> is that something they really think about going in? in 2005 this very discussion was being had, can we have an african or latino pope? here we are again revisiting this. is that a real possibility? is that something that is considered, that that is where the catholic church is growing? >> i think that is being considered. those were considered long shots at the last conclave. suddenly the conversations are very different. >> what about when you talk about being in touch with the youth, perhaps? we talk about social media enahow that's not part of the

conclave. they're taking serious efforts to make sure nobody tweets from there, no information is shared. is that something they're considering, the youth movement? every year they flock to rome and they are riveted by what the pope has to say. that's really the future of the church. >> last year, the church hosted the new evangelistization. it's how we preach to people today, in the modern world. last fall the church convoked that, participated in that meeting when they reflected on such things. suddenly we have, as they take the cardinals' cell phones away for the conclave, i'm sure some of them will be going into social media withdrawal. >> i think young people,

especially in the united states feel as they they nead a church that's relevant to their lives, that speaks to them, that they can sit in a church and not be bored by a homily. and that may be their local priest doing that. they want a pope that's going to inspire them to get involved and active again. again, in the united states that is an issue. >> let me remind you what you are looking at here. pope benedict xvi is meeting with each and every cardinal who is there already. they are getting a private moment. we saw cardinal o'malley of boston and at the mere mention of these american cardinals it begs our favorite question, which is is there any possibility we might see an american pope? >> again, we never know. >> but? >> but it's fun to dream about that possibility. and we talk about speaking to a culture of young people. you talk about speaking in the modern world. we have our american

perspective. in some ways there's a little bit of fandom there. there's cardinal stafford, a retired cardinal from the united states who worked in rome. >> you're a fantastic spotter. >> no kidding. >> he's over 80. he will not be a voting cardinal. who knows. there's been talk of cardinal o'malley because of his work in boston, especially in terms of addressing the sex abuse scan d scanned -- scandal. we talk about cardinal dolan because of his place in the media and his position with the conference of bishops at this point. there's cardinal wuerl. he would summarize the items and had a chance to do some of the minding of the content. >> let's go back to cardinal o'malley for a minute, the cardinal of boston. it was the italian press who put

him forward, a franciscan, known to have gone in to clean up after cardinal law in boston and with the sex abuse scandal he's gotten high marks. if you're looking at an american, it may indeed be cardinal o'malley, if anyone, who is a front-runner. >> we ask about americans and the general answer is, no, you can't have an american because america is seen as the only super power. but if it is an american, if there's not someone prt united states, there is someone being mentioned in every discussion who's at least from a place close to the united states, the canadian. >> the prefect of the cardinal of bishops, cardinal willette. he's from the french part of

canada. he spent time in missionary lands. he's done missionary work in south america. he has a european kind of feel and he's been in rome for a little while. he could potentially be the north american candidate, because he has european kind of roots. >> one negative, i heard the last time he addressed the assembled group, he put them to sleep. >> that's a negative. >> this type of discussion is fascinating. is it the type of discussion already going on amongst the cardinals or that will be going on the next several days? >> i think it is. you want someone intellectual, a linguist, who can speak in many languages but you want someone with a little of the carrism of john paul ii. >> absolutely. we want someone who can stand on a world stage and inspire people. >> what about conservative versus progressive. >> more than half of the

cardinals, 67, currently were appointed by pope benedict. the other 50 who are voting were all appointed by pope john paul. there is a mold in some ways. we talk about the church thinking outside the box. there are some who are saying how big is the box anyway and how far outside the box could people think. >> there's key issues, the issue of celibacy and the issue of women in the catholic church and the role they play. is that something they will be discussing? >> i think it certainly will get discussed. whether or not it goes anywhere remains to be seen. >> celibacy before women in the church, i would think. because of the sex abuse scandal. whether or not it should be linked, people have linked it. and the whole idea we've accepted from the anglocan tradition. it's happening. if they are ministering as roman

catholic preefs with wives and children, you are saying it is possible. why not extend that then to those who are roman catholic? >> we'd head back to christiane amanpour, she is live in rome for us. christiane, are you there? >> i absolutely am, zoraida. it's interesting talking about the issue of marriage or celibacy. 58% of the americans polled say they should move in that direction, that would allow priests to marry. those who have come in from anglocanism. we know the catholic church needs more and more priests. to put that in perspective, it's what american catholics may like to see happen. we're watching the cardinals have a few moments with the pope before the butler in charge

there moves them swiftly along. we have talked about and listened to you talking about the possibility of the next pope. i interviewed the retired archbishop of washington yesterday, who said that as much as you might want to see an american pope, it's unlikely to happen this time around. and one of the front-runners if there's any such thing as a front-runner john allen, would be perhaps -- that there is cardinal law. let's talk about how he was somewhat controversial over the years. >> cardinal bernard law would be a number of cardinals who fairly or unfairly have been linked to the sex abuse scandals who have rocked the catholic church. he was the archbishop of boston when the scandal exploded in 2001, 2002. he resigned under the pressure of the scandal. it was friday 13th, 2002, and then came to rome, took over a ceremonial position here.

you'll remember in 2005 cardinal law's participation in that conclave was controversial for many reasons, also like cardinal mahoney's participation is controversial this time around. >> while they approve of pope benedict's papacy still don't feel that the full issue of the sex abuse scandal has been fully and acceptably finally dealt with. yes, that is a point of controversy here in rome. of course, we are likely to see any moment cardinal mahoney. >> cardinal law is now over 80 and will not be voting in the conclave. cardinal mahoney will be. >> explain for viewers who may not fully understand, when members of the church have been discipline or have had to tep down, what is the ability of them to continue to operate at such elevated levels in the

hierarchy? >> there's also a point of misunderstanding here. if we take the case of cardinal law, he resigned as the archbishop of boston which means he was in 0 longer the chief spiritual authority in boston. that does not mean he's no longer a cardinal. the cardinals remain cardinals forever. they continue to sit on various vatican offices. each of the departments in the vatican has a commission or a board of cardinals that sets policy. and you hold those positions until you turn 80. and so once a cardinal, always a cardinal. >> i think as we see this incredible pomp, we were talking about that amazining plush red that the pope is wearing, because it's cold in that hall. >> it's a somewhat chilly day here. that is that ceremonial room in the vatican, the floors are marble. there's a draft down that corridor and it's not particularly well heated. i'm sure benedict is feeling chill on the bones today. the fur-lined mantle around the

shoulders wards it off. >> what a mine of information john allen is, as we saw a bearded cardinal come up, he remarked to me, that if he was pope, he would be the first bearded pope in -- >> 213 years. >> for some reason we have not had a bearded pope in 213 years. and talking about front-runners as close as there is to a front-runner or at least somebody who there's been a lot of attention focused on is cardinal scola. >> he saw cardinal scola greet pope benedict earlier. i don't think there's anyone who is an obvious front-runner but he would be one of the most talked about candidates. he's an intellectual protege. he's considered one of the

church's experts in relationships with islam. he founded a project in 2004 called the oasis project creating a platform for dialogue between christians and muslims, particularly in the middle east. a lot of qualities cardinals would find attractive. >> you said the roman catholic church has always been interested and eager to see a political settlement between israel and the palestinians. that having been said, it was pope benedict xvi who actually caused a bit of a storm of controversy with the muslim world in one of his first speeches shortly after being elected. >> yes, that's right, in 2006 when he quoted a 14th century byzantine emperor linking him with violence. an italian fun was shot to death in mogadishu.

another was shot to death in turkey. on the other hand on the back of all that, it should be said that benedict has actually made some great strides in terms of trying to create new avenues of conversation with the islamic world. and i was actually on the holy father's trip to the holyland in 2009. he gave his great alliance of civilization speech in amman, jordan, he proposed an alliance between the west and islamic world. ironical ironically, shortly after president obama did his speech, i did a text analysis and they were quite analysis. >> he also offended some jews because of the rehabilitation of one of the holocaust denying roman catholics. let's talk a little bit about the contrast of this incredible pomp, the circumstance, the formality of the vatican and what we were talking about cardinal tagle of the philippines, we were talking about how he was a young and

prominent cardinal and a bishop of the people who brings the poor and destitute into his area to have dinner and chat. >> before he went to the philippines, cardinal tagle was the bishop of a smaller diocese. the cathedral was in the main town square and people who were out of work and so forth were famous for sleeping in that area. a story has been told, a woman who had a chronic alcoholic for a husband who would sleep it off. the reason she couldn't find him, the bishop, tagle came out and invited him in for lunch. he was famous for riding his bike in his diocese or taking the bus, that kind of thing. it's that common touch that people find attractive. >> many of us who grew up seeing priests and funs in the field, using that common touch,

compassion, mercy and justice, that's how many of us grew up really knowing catholic funs and priests. back to you in new york. >> we are watching history right with you this morning as the cardinals give their final good-byes to pope benedict xvi. each kissing his hand. so much laughter. >> there's been a lot of laughter. >> let's give you a brief look at the process step by step as pope benedict xvi's historic unprecedented final day plays out. he is expected to greet each and every cardinal. he made brief comments a short time ago. at 10:45 eastern, the pope departs the courtyard. he's a pilot but he will not be flying today. >> are you sure? >> that's what they tell us. it's a short trip to castel gandolfo, just 15 minutes. he will land there. that will be his temporary retirement home, a place that's been the summer retreat for

popes for close to 400 years. he will greet the crowd from his window at 11:30 a.m. eastern time. that is an important moment. we expect those to be his last words spoken in public as pope. then at 2:00 eastern, which is about 8:00 p.m. in italy, the pope will no longer be pope. the swiss guards will leave their posts. the doors will close. the a very symbolic moment and a chapter in history will be closed. >> coming up at 10:00 a.m. eastern time, a cnn's special on the pope's last day, anchored by erin burnett and chris cuomo in new york and as well as christiane amanpour. it will be simulcast on cnni as well. happening right now, the world and its 1.2 billion catholics witnessing a sitting pope in his final hours hours o throne of saint peter. >> in eight hours he will become pope emeritus. before that happens there is a lot else that will go on today.

the pope, as we say, at this moment meeting many, many of the cardinals. many of them have gathered in rome. some are still arriving for the expected conclave that will happen probably a week, week and a half from now. we don't know the exact start date. the pope has been meeting and greeting each one of them, sharing a moment. earlier in the day, about 45 minutes ago, he did deliver some brief remarks to them. let's take a quick listen. >> translator: personally i would like to say that i will continue to serve you in prayer, in particular in the coming days, so that you may be touched by the holy spirit in the election of a new pope and hope that the lord will show you the right way. >> and prior to that, we're looking at that, cardinal sedano actually spoke to the pope.

>> translator: today joining you to express once again their deep affection and to express to you the gratitude for your selfless apostolic service for the good of the church of christ and the whole of mankind. >> and we have with us this morning father edward beck and monsignor hilgarten, we really appreciate it. father beck, i want to start with cardinal sedano because he is miles an hour mired. >> he defended a priest that was accused of fathering a young child. he received some financial gifts from the legion of christ so people thought it was a quid pro

quo that he was not going after him when he received this money. also when he addressed the pope in easter of 2010 along with the other cardinals present, he referred to the sex abuse scandal as petty gossip so seeming to dismiss the severity of the claims and that did not win him high marks around the world for sure. >> you're looking at several of the arch bishops who work in the vatican and serve the pope, they are saying their goodbyes to pope benedict xvi before he departs foreca castel gandolfo. he thanked them for being with him in the marvelous moments but also when the world was covered by dark clouds. i was just listening to what you were saying about cardinal sedano thinking there's a lot of history, good and bad, in that room today. >> it's helpful to point out he

is the dean of the college of cardinals but he's also over 80 so he can't vote. he will have someone acting in his stay who will be the next in line who is eligible to vote who will preside over the conclave. so cardinal sonado may help lead the congregations. they aren't public but the general congregations. but once they go into conclave, cardinal sodano is not one of the one that say can go in. >> pope benedict xvi did speak about the conclave today. he said he hoped that the cardinals are touched by the holy spirit in the election of the new pope and then in words with so much significance, he promised his obedience to the next pope. >> he did. and he also, in referencing what happened yesterday at st. peter's square, those crowds, he said this is evidence that the church is a living body, alive. we need to be in the world but not of it. some may say that pope benedict was not enough in the world and needed to be more in it and

maybe even a little more of it. but his point is if you're too much a part of it, it can corrupt you. >> let's talk about the conclave. i think we have a graphic that we can put up for folks here that tells us how it works. who actually gets to vote. so you must be under 80 by the date of the vacancy. >> today. >> yes, all right. 115 cardinals are eligible to vote. the average age there is 72 years old. about 45% work or have worked in the roman curia. more than 50% of european. nearly half of those are italian. about 34% come from asia, africa, latin america, 9.4% are from the united states and canada a little less with 3%. when you look at the makeup and the demographics there, what does that tell you? perhaps what the key issues they're going to be discussing in the conclave. you mentioned earlier, monsig r monsignor, the way we look at this as americans is very

different than catholics across the world. >> there are some issues that will resonate more with the american church, others that might resonate with the european church and still others with the church in asia, south america, africa it looks like. one of the things pope benedict said this morning, he spoke of the caollege of cardinals as an orchestra, unity and diversity that bring about a harmony. speaking from his heart as a musician, a classical pianist and his love of music. there is such diversity in cultures and languages, one of the challenges, many of the cardinals are linguists but some of them aren't. at times they may struggle to find common language, literally common language mostly sunny them. >> as pope don't you have to be a linguist? it seems like a requirement of the job. >> it certainly would be. one would expect when the new pope comes out to the balcony of st. peter's to give the

blessing, that he would at least be proficient enough in latin to offer the blessing but presumably proficient enough in italian to address the crowd gathered there. there was the great moment when pope john paul was elected and he came out and apologized and asked the church to bear with him as he learned their language. >> and let's say just because their average age is 72 and they're mostly european, that does not mean they can't do something dramatic. we do believe that the holy spirit is somehow involved in this. i found this quote of benedict on the roll of the holy spirit in the election. he said the spirit picks out the pope but does not take control of the affair. rather like a good educator leaves us much space, much freedom without abandoning us. >> it looks like pope benedict xvi is getting ready to depart at the vatican right now. let's go back at this moment to christiane amanpour who is in

rome. >> reporter: this wraps up more than an hour of pope benedict xvi meeting with all the cardinals, archbishops and other members of the hierarchy who are there. we saw that it was a very deliberate process. it was somewhat emotional as these elderly cardinals, so many of whom have been elevated to their position by benedict xvi or pope john paul ii before him very closely tied to this pope, have had their moment of face time with him for the last time as he's pope. i'm here with john allen, our senior vatican analyst and reporter for the catholic national reporter. what struck you, john, about the procession and about the individuals? who stood out for you? >> well, it was obvious that all cardinals are created equal. some more equal than others. there are some with whom benedict has been more close over the years. you saw an enormously warm

embrace with cardinal meisner of germany who is one of benedict's closest friends. they have had an appointment at least once a week on the phone in part to talk policy and in part just to chat. >> one of the things i thought was so interesting was after cardinal sodano gave the speech, gave the thank you, then the pope talked. amongst his comments was and amongst you will be the next pope, to whom i offer my unconditional obedience and devotion. >> yeah, that's right. and you notice he also issued a sort of gentle plea there for harmony among the cardinals. he understands that this is a strong-willed group of guys, many of whom have different ideas within limits about where the church ought to go, and he knows that whenever there is a transition and they have to pick a new leader, there is always the possibility of gridlock and so forth. i think he's gently trying to invite them to stay together. >> he likened it a little to an orchestra that needs to play together in order to have

harmony. when you say differences within limits about where the church needs to go, give us a sense of where some are saying it needs to go versus where others are saying. >> well, basically i think the cardinals have a three-item shopping list in terms of what they're looking for in the next pope. one is they want a pope with global vision. two-thirds of the 1.2 billion catholics of the world live outside that west. that share will be three-quarters by midcentury. i think they want someone who can embrace that burgeoning catholic footprint. secondly they want somebody who is going to be -- the technical catholic word is an evangelizer. somebody who can move the catholic product in the marketplace and make it attractive and third a governor. >> the evangelist and salesman extraordinaire would have been in his predecessors, john paul. >> somewhere in a dictionary under the word evangelist is a

picture of pope john paul ii. the basic diagnosis among many cardinals about benedict's papacy is he was a magnificent teaching pope but a mixed bag as a business manager. you asked where the fault lines are. first of all, you're never going to find any one guy who perfectly incarnates all these three things so which is the most important. what do we absolutely have to have and what can we settle for less than the idea. >> in terms of management and governability of the vatican and all the church's affairs, there's been financial scandals and the sex abuse scandal we have talked about for so long. a senior brazilian cardinal acknowledged of course this is going to be on the minds of the cardinals as they elect the next pope. that this business must be finished. would you say that's accurate? >> oh, absolutely. i, of course, have been talking to cardinals since this news

broke. certainly i think, again, there are different ideas and different visions. but one thing that they would be almost unanimously saying is that the next pope has to profile as a reformer on the sex abuse scandals. that means two things. one, he's got to have clean hands himself. there can't be any suggestion of mismanagement or coverup in terms of his own biography and secondly he has to have the skill set in their eyes to be the one to bring this work to completion. they would all say that benedict has been a great reformer, the first pope to meet with victims. in fact you saw cardinal sean o'malley greeting pope benedict. o'malley had told me that he wanted to thank the pope for coming to the united states and for meeting with victims for the first time in the united states in april, 2008. i'm sure that's what cardinal o'malley said to benedict in that shot. however, i think there's a perception that there still is work left to be done, in particular the notion of accountability not just for priests who abuse but also for

bishops who dropped the ball. >> indeed. and that will be something that many catholics are looking forward to seeing, this business being finished once and for all. and the stated policy of zero tolerance by benedict to actually be zero tolerance, whether they did it or whether they hid it, so to speak. of course we'll be here throughout the day. we'll go back to you in new york. but the next event here is the departure of benedict vi to castel gandolfo and after he makes his appearance at the balcony, then three hours after that will be the end of his papacy. >> truly a historic day, christiane. we're going to head over to jim bittermann who's at st. peter's square. i know you said yesterday was the day to be there but i imagine a lot of people are showing up today as well. >> reporter: sure there are. in fact one of the things i always say in the news business is you should have been here yesterday. the fact is that yesterday was

the big day here. there were tens of thousands of people out here for the pope's last meeting with the people. today it's more intimate. he's with the cardinals, as we saw this morning, and he'll be having a lunch with the cardinals, very intimate lunch before he flies off to castel g gandolfo. sophie halladay and billy lease are both here from london. what brings you here today? >> we're here to absorb all the atmosphere. obviously the wonderful weather and hopefully catch a glimpse of the pope on his final farewell from the vatican. i harear that he's going to be leaving in his helicopter so we'll be looking up to see if we can see a wave from the pope. >> you're not disappointed that you won't be seeing him in person? >> no, we're not disappointed. it was very busy here yesterday and it's also quite noisy here today. but i think obviously he made his final address, but we're here just to appreciate the atmosphere and take it in, just

knowing that he's in there is just enough to complete the kind of culture insight, i think. >> it's a bit of history, no? >> absolutely. we were discussing only yesterday that an occasion like this last happened 600 years ago so we thought we might as welcome because it could be ear 600 before it happens. >> may not have the chance the next time. >> absolutely. >> thank you very much the two of you. that's sort of the scene here, zoraida, john. a bit of tourism going on today. some people maybe hoping to catch a glimpse of the helicopter. we're not absolutely sure if you'll be able to see it from the square but i have a feeling the pope will have the pilot make a swing over the square before he departs. >> i think everybody will hear it. we were just told all the bells will be ringing at the churches so it will be quite loud in the area. >> once he does leave st. peter', he heads toward castel

gandolfo. that will be his temporary retirement home and our becky anderson reports from there. >> reporter: final preparations being made here at castel gandolfo for a very honored guest. hours from now, benedict xvi, his holiness, will chopper into this residence and from then on in start his life of quiet contemplation. the window behind me is where we will see benedict xvi make his final brief salute. we'll hear his last words and then at 8:00 local time, that door behind me will slam shut and the swiss guards, the papal bodyguards for centuries will abandon their position. a very big day for the diocese here, some 7,000 people. expect bells, expect processional torches. this is a beautiful, beautiful

setting as it is on lake albano, a very peaceful, peaceful place to start a new life. >> our thanks to becky. coming up at 10:00 eastern, a cnn special on the pope's last day anchored by erin burnett and chris cuomo here in new york and christiane amanpour live in rome. it will be simulcast on cnni. >> so much history. meanwhile, not history of a good time happening here in the u.s. counting down to those forced spending cuts. it appears that everyone in washington believes that ax will drop. and a night of terror for a mother and a child in florida. my goodness, take a look at this. suddenly face-to-face with a gunman. it is all caught on camera. we'll share this all with you. you're watching "early start." take these bags to room 12 please. [ garth ] bjorn's small business earns double miles on every purchase every day. produce delivery. [ bjorn ] just put it on my spark card. [ garth ] why settle for less? ahh, oh! [ garth ] great businesses deserve unlimited rewards.

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welcome back to a special edition of "early start." the clock keeps ticking toward massive across-the-board spending cuts and no one in washington seems in any rush to stop this, john. we now know that president obama and congressional leaders will meet tomorrow at the white house, but at this point it looks like nothing can prevent that fiscal hammer from coming down. as cnn's brianna keilar tells us it has the white house at odds

with a prominent journalist. >> reporter: after a week of touting the dire consequences around the forced spending cuts would have, president obama softened his tone wednesday night in a speech to top business executives. >> this is not a cliff, but it is a tumble downward. it's conceivable that in the first week, the first two weeks, first three weeks, first month a lot of people may not notice the full impact of the sequester. but this is going to be a big hit on the economy. >> reporter: republicans have said these predictions are nothing but scare tactics. >> it's time they got off the campaign trail and started working with us to govern for a change. >> reporter: the president reiterated the charge of partisanship ahead of an 11th-hour meeting on friday with congressional leaders. >> the i shassue is political a the question is whether or not we are going to see a willingness on the part of all

parties to compromise in a meaningful way. >> reporter: all the while, the obama white house is engaged in a war of words with legendary "washington post" reporter bob woodward over the origin of the forced spending cuts. in a controversial op-ed last week, woodward wrote the final deal reached between vice president biden and senator minority leader mitch mcconnell included an agreement that there would be no tax increases in the sequester. woodward criticized the president's handling of negotiations writing so when the president asks that a substitute for the sequester include not just spending cuts but also new revenue, he is moving the goal posts. on cnn's "situation room" wednesday, woodward claimed he received a veiled threat in an e-mail from a senior white house aide. >> it was said very clearly you will regret doing that. >> who sent that e-mail to you? >> well, i'm not going to say. >> was it a senior person at the white house?

>> a very senior person. and just as a -- it makes me very uncomfortable to have the white house telling reporters you're going to regret doing something that you believe in. >> reporter: brianna keilar, cnn, the white house. >> bob woodward with a rich history of white houses who were very unhappy with his reporting. >> the white house has now responded to bob woodward's charge saying, quote, no threat was intended and that the e-mail suggested that mr. woodward would regret the observation he made regarding the sequester because that observation was inaccurate, nothing more. brand new this morning, tens of millions of dollars is how much a proposed aid package to the syrian opposition is said to be worth. secretary of state john kerry is expected to announce the details today. he is in rome. he will be meeting with the opposition there. unclear what ends up in the final deal, but the administration has been considering providing nonlethal military equipment like night vision goggles and body armor as

well as some military training. >> and jack lew, president obama's choice for treasury secretary, getting a green light from the senate. he was confirmed by a 71-26 vote. lew previously served as the president's chief of staff and as director of the office of management and budget. one of lew's first tasks may be changing his bizarre signature. it looks like a series of loops rather than letters and it could be the next thing on bills, large and small that you'll be looking at. some business news now. the dow is going to open up today at a five-year high after a big rally yesterday. >> making predictions? >> i am predicting, you heard it right here. the blue chip average soared 170 points closing at 14,075. that puts it just about 89 points away from its record high reached in october, 2007. wall street was pleased to hear the federal reserve chairman ben bernanke plans to stay the course and keep propping up the economy. a strong housing report also helped out.

so far stock futures point to a flat open today. 24 minutes past the hour. it was a terrifying night for a motel clerk in florida and for her son. an armed robber smashes through a locked glass door, charges the counter. keep on looking. points a gun at the woman's head and forces her to give him money. her young son was working on his homework, saw this entire thing unfolding. luckily no one was hurt. police are hoping to identify the gunman even though, as you can see there, his face was covered. the meteor blast over russia two weeks ago was so powerful it was heard around the world, just not by human ears. the 30-second sound wave was a very low frequency that we can't hear but sensors from greenland to antarctica picked it up. scientists believe the blast released was 30 he shairoshima . it was going at 30,000 miles an

hour when it blew up. an historic day. pope benedict xvi last day as leader of the catholic church worldwide, the roman catholic church. we are following him through his final hours. did you know not all fiber is the same? citrucel is different- it's the only fiber for regularity that won't cause excess gas. it's gentle and clinically proven to help restore and maintain regularity. look for citrucel today. for those nights when it's more than a bad dream, be ready. for the times you need to double-check the temperature on the thermometer, be ready. for high fever, nothing works faster

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the final blessing from pope benedict xvi. >> translator: may he bless all of you in the name of the father and the son and the holy spirit. >> a special moment for the cardinals there. the pope now in his historic final hours of his reign. cardinals lining up to kiss the ring one last time, sharing a little last laughter. we are live to bring you history as the pope will fly into retirement. it was said very clearly, you will regret doing this. >> "washington post" reporter bob woodward telling cnn he was threatened by the white house over a piece he wrote on the origin of the forced spending cuts. the white house denies it. we will have a closer look at this war of words. and a battle from the 1960s

being refought in 2013. some supreme court justices wonder if a key part of the civil rights movement still applies today. welcome back to "early start." really nice to have you with us, i'm zoraida sambolin. >> and i'm john berman. it is 30 minutes after the hour on this historic day. welcome back to cnn's live coverage as the pope's final hours. >> pope benedict xvi will become pope emeritus in just over seven hours when his resignation officially takes effect. just this past hour he addressed the 100 or so cardinals in attendance and gave each of them some face time and some ring time. this group will face the daunting task of choosing his successor. the pontiff looking back on his eight years on st. peter's throne. >> translator: advice and presence has been very helpful to me in my ministry. during eight years we have lived

with faith, marvelous moments in the history of the church and also times when the world is covered by dark clouds. >> the pope spoke to the cardinals for about ninten minu. he told them he will pray for them as they embark on their next mission selecting his successor. >> translator: personally i would like to say that i will continue to serve you in prayer, in particular in the coming days, so that you may be touched by the holy spirit in the election of a new pope and hope that the lord will show you the right way. >> and moments before the pope met with the cardinals, the dean of the college of cardinals, angelo sodano, delivered a few remarks thanking the pontiff for all of his sacrifices during his eight-year reign as head of the roman catholic church. >> translator: today i'm joining

you to express once again their deep affection and to express to you the gratitude for your selfless apostolic service for the good of the church of christ and the whole of mankind. >> the scope of today's events simply epic. no person alive has ever witnessed anything like this, a sitting pope stepping down. benedict's departure comes at a time when the church is embroiled in a fair amount of turmoil. it's 1.2 billion followers searching for something of a new guide post, a new direction. we're going to go to christiane amanpour who is live in rome this morning. christiane? >> reporter: good morning to you, john and zoraida. indeed we have been watching this last bit of face time with the cardinals and in a few hours the pope will then leave st. peter's, leave the vatican and head off to his semi-permanent retirement home, his temporary one up at castel gandolfo.

a few hours after that he will end his papacy at 8:00 p.m. local, 2:00 p.m. eastern, the end of the papacy of benedict xvi will take place. then we have the empty seat, that is the period of interim between this outgoing pope and the next one. that is what everybody is looking for. as you correctly say, while there's a lot of joy, a lot of outpouring of affection for benedict xvi there has also been turmoil in the catholic church, most particularly about the priest sexual abuse scandal and a leading cardinal has said that as the conclave convenes, foremost will be the sex abuse scandal and how to choose a pope who will be able to move this church to a final conclusion to that, to a final implementation of the zero tolerance that benedict xvi instituted and who will be really to lead this 1.2 billion flock into the future.

john? >> thanks so much, christiane. so here's a look step by step at pope benedict xvi's historic, unprecedented final day as the holy father. this past hour he gave each cardinal a little brief face time. at 10:45 eastern the pop departs the courtyard for the heliport. at 11:15 his helicopter takes off. 15 minutes later he will land at castel gandolfo, his temporary retirement home. familiar for him, this is the summer retreat for popes for close to 400 years. he will greet the crowd there from his window at 11:30 a.m. eastern time. this will be a very significant moment. we expect these will be the last words he will speak in public as pope. then at 2:00 eastern, which is 8:00 p.m. in italy, the pope will no longer be pope. the swiss guards who guard and attend him will leave their posts. the doors will close, symbolic. a chapter in history will then be over.

>> and back with us to discuss all things papal, we have monsignor rick hilgartner, and also father edward beck. thank you so much for being with us. i want to clear something up. earlier i said that they were kissing the pope's ring and maybe the successor would be -- one of them would be wearing that ring. they do not wear the ring because this ring is destroyed, is it not? >> yes, it is. the ring is actually tied -- it has benedict's name on it. today it's a symbolic sign of his office and his authority but certainly in times past the ring would have actually been used to seal papal decrees or statements and it would have been the wax seal and so it was important at the death of a pope that the ring be destroyed. so there is actually still going to be a ritual, i don't think it's going to be public, but there will be a moment when the person who oversees the day-to-day operations after 2:00

p.m. eastern today will oversee the destruction of the ring. they will slice it and then smash it. the remains of it will be saved and be buried ultimately with pope benedict. >> and what about anything else, the vestments. does everything get retired when he dies or retires? >> he's going to get to wear the white tunic. he'll give up the cape, the red cape. he has to give up the red shoes. >> so much focus on the shoes. >> so much on those red shoes. he'll wear more comfortable mexican brown shoes that he got when he was in mexico that he finds very comfortable. by the way, that's probably good that he'll give up the mozeto. some animal rights groups were protesting that he had ermin on his cape. >> let's talk about what will happen the next few days. we discussed the conclave at length. that's when they gather to elect the next pope. before that starts, this is a period of politicking not just

among the cardinals who will vote but the more senior cardinals, the older cardinals who will not get that chance. >> correct. tomorrow the dean of the college of cardinals will con voke the cardinals and announce the start of the general congregations and ultimately the conclave. so it's anticipated that tomorrow there will at least be an announcement of the start of the meetings, if not actual meetings taking place. and then once the first day of all the cardinals gathered in congregation, the first decision they'll make is the start of the conclave. and that's been an issue -- a question that's been somewhat unanswered but clarified earlier this week when pope benedict issued an instruction that gave the cardinals the authority to move up the start of the conclave from the minimum of 15 days. because the normal presumption is that the period which begins today begins with preparation for the burial of the pope and a funeral followed by a period of

nine days of mourning. that part doesn't have to happen so that could be accelerated but they will begin with some time of those meetings, the congregations, and what we don't know yet is how long they anticipate scheduling those meetings before they actually go into the conclave in the chapel. >> while there's no politicking, they live together, eat together, imbibe together. there is definitely off the record conversation about what they were thinking and feeling about these candidates. >> not unimportant discussions either. this is the first time many of them have been together in months, years perhaps and it's a chance for them to talk about the future. >> most definitely. and that really, the off-the-record stuff is probably the most influential of all. >> there's 117 eligible to be there. 115 will actually be voting. one is ill, the other surrounded with controversy, cardinal o'brien, i believe it is, surrounded with controversy. as they are headed into this conclave, there is a lot of controversy surrounding a lot of

the folks that are sitting there making this decision. how does that get handled? >> i think people look at it that you separate the two. they're still cardinals. it is their right to vote for the new pope. no one going in there is a saint. it's a sinful church, a sinful institution. >> when you talk about the sex abuse scandal and the children involved, it elevates to something even more sinful. >> it does elevate it, but remember there's a minority of those even in that room who have egregiously erred in this issue. so you have to look at it in the context of the greater whole and it's a minority of people that we're talking about. >> father edward beck, monsignor hilgartner thank you for being with us. we're just now learning about pope benedict xvi's final acts as pope. he continued receiving resignations and nominating bishops even on his last day of office. today he accepted the

resignation of the bishop of argentina and nominated his replacement. he nominated a monsignor to be an auxiliary bishop in vietnam. apparently his final official act as pope. i see some surprised looks around here. were you guys not aware of that? >> i haven't seen the vatican news service this morning. caught me off guard. >> working up until the very end. coming up at 10:00 a.m. eastern time, a cnn special on the pope's last day will be anchored by erin burnett and chris cuomo in new york. christiane amanpour will be in rome. is it racial entitlement or an american right? are southern states more racist when it comes to voting procedures? we'll have more on this battle that is currently being fought in the supreme court. can be. u know hown for fast, long lasting relief, use doctor recommended gaviscon®. only gaviscon® forms a protective barrier that helps block stomach acid from splashing up- relieving the pain quickly. try fast, long lasting gaviscon®. relieving the pain quickly. oh, hi thehey!ill. are you in town for another meeting?

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history being made today, not just because soledad o'brien is here to tell us what's ahead on "starting point." >> we are witnessing history. it's the pope's last day as the head of the catholic church. in a little more than seven hours he will officially be in retirement and of course now the focus is on the search for the successor. live in rome for you getting some insight from mon sar rick hilgartner, also sister simone campbell will join us, the executive director of network and father edward beck will join us as well. then a school forbids a first grader from using the girl's restroom because she was born a boy. she and her parents will join us to explain their fight that they're embroiled in with the school. and this young lady won america's heart and mind at the

olympics. now mikayla maroney is leaping into acting. we'll talk about her new gig straight ahead. >> it will be impressive, no doubt. >> i'm sure. >> thank you. it is 45 minutes past the hour. it's the last day before those automatic spending cuts kick in. president obama will meet with congressional leaders at the white house tomorrow to search for a way out of this crazy fiscal mess. but a little too late. the president has warned of dire consequences but has now softened his tone a little bit. >> this is not a cliff, but it is a tumble downward. it's conceivable that in the first week, the first two weeks, the first three weeks, first month a lot of people may not notice the full impact of the sequester. but this is going to be a big hit on the economy. >> republicans accuse the president of using scare tactics. both sides remain far apart on

critical tax and spending issues. the supreme court hearing oral arguments in a challenge to the voting rights act of 1965 and a key provision of the measure does seem to be in jeopardy. if it's overturned, nine states, mostly in the south, would become free to change their voting procedures without permission from the federal government. civil rights activists fear that would mean tighter identification standards and more flexibility to move polling places and redraw legislative districts, a move that they say could hurt minority voting. another former member of the temptations has died. richard street sang with them for more than 20 years. his widow says street had a clot in his lung. he was 70 years old. singer damon harris died last week. >> i could sing along to most of their songs. love them. the winter storm that wreaked havoc across the plains and the midwest is finally coming to an end. we're still talking about a bit more snow for some parts of new england. jennifer delgado is live with more details for us.

good morning. >> good morning. i think i've answered your prayers. you were hoping for this storm to come to an end and it finally has. you can still see what's happening through parts of the upper midwest. you can see ohio valley some light snow there. overall we're talking in most locations 1 inch, maybe 2 more inches of snowfall. the same for areas including maine as well as into regions like new hampshire. right now we're looking at some rain out there coming down real lightly through washington and the same through maryland. dover, you're looking at some showers. for new york, really just dealing with some clouds and you'll keep the chance of some rain around until 3:00 and then the clouds will finally clear out and you'll start to see the sunshine once again. very late in the day. but overall high pressure is in control for areas, including the southwest, the west. we'll see some rain, of course, and some snow in those high elevations across parts of washington. but high temperatures today in the 30s, the 40s and the 50s. and it's actually running about 10 degrees below average across parts of the midwest, but our big story is going to be the

cooldown that's going to be coming this weekend. this is all courtesy of the jetstream. it's going to be pulling that cold air from the north down towards the south. that includes florida. maybe you're going to be heading there this weekend for early spring break or something like that, but look at these temperatures. they're going to be running nearly 10 to 20 degrees below average as we go through the next couple days. for jacksonville, a high of 61. you should be at 71. and sunday is going to be the coldest of the weekend. >> i predict you're going to get some hate mail. >> yes. frio, cold. >> thank you, jennifer. so it was a show-stopper at madison square garden last night. we'll have the bleacher report coming up. to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? and with all the points i've been earning, i was able to get us a flight to our favorite climbing spot even on a holiday weekend. ♪ things are definitely looking up.

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welcome back. 52 minutes past the hour. splendid shooting performance in the nba record books. it's a mecca for basketball. >> jared greenberg joins us for this morning's bleacher report. stephen curry had just a show last night at madison square garden. >> he did, a performance to remember or is it? the best individual performance of the season on basketball's biggest stage. it goes for naught. steph curry put on a show scoring an nba season high 54 points, including 11 three-pointers. that's tied for the second-most threes in a game in nba history. curry scored the third most points ever by an opponent at the world's most famous. however, it wasn't enough.

curry's warriors got upended by carmelo and the knicks. one reason new york was able to outlast golden state, they were without their all star big man david lee, who was suspended. lee and pacers center roy hibbert got to know each other real well tuesday in indiana. the nba and hibbert's mom were both none too pleased. guess which one is worse? hibbert said his mom was a little upset. she told her son that he should have walked away from this incident. the league's one-game suspension, well, that pales in comparison to a mother's guilt. there are upsets and then there was this. a mind-blowing outcome. penn state shocking the college basketball world winning its first conference game in more than a year. the nittany lions did it against the fourth-ranked team in the nation. the season of ridiculousness continues. hey, students and alum, at least

for today, willing to admit that they have a basketball team at penn state. well, you know, 2-week-old sausage is never a good thing unless, unless that particular sausage is part of a famous in-game race during milwaukee brewer games. guido the italian sausage, wearing number 3, went missing during a beer tasting event and was seen in pictures bar hopping around town. the seven-foot sausage was dropped off at a nearby bar anonymously. a meaty story, to say the least. >> i'm so glad he's back. >> are you? >> and so are they in milwaukee. right now on bleacher report, the staff reminds us that it's always football season. log on and check out the post combine mock draft. find out who your team is targeting on bleacherreport.com. and everybody should be thankful that i stopped with just one cliche. no more sausage jokes.

we're leaving it at that. >> that's probably a very good idea. thank you very much. >> thank you for that. great to see you. "early start" back after this quick break. oh, hi thehey!ill. are you in town for another meeting? yup, i brought my a-team. siness trips add to family time. this is my family. this is joe. hi joe! hi there! earn a ton of extra points with the double your hhonors promotion and feel the hamptonality. a regular guy with an irregular heartbeat. the usual, bob? not today. [ male announcer ] bob has afib:

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